Chinese word

白天

Pronunciation

Pinyinbái tiān

Meaning

  • noundaytime

Example

白天我们去公园。bái tiān wǒ men qù gōng yuán

We go to the park during the day.

Illustration for 白天 (daytime)

More examples

教室里白天很安静。jiào shì lǐ bái tiān hěn ān jìng

The classroom is very quiet in the daytime.

Core concept

The sunlit part of a day, set apart from the hours of darkness.

Common phrases

  • 白天和晚上bái tiān hé wǎn shàng

    day and night

  • 白天学习bái tiān xué xí

    study in the daytime

Similar words

上午shàng wǔ: The time in the morning from about 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
下午xià wǔ: The time in the afternoon from about 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
早上zǎo shàng: The first part of the morning, usually after getting up.
晚上wǎn shàng: The time from sunset through the evening and into the night.

Definition in Chinese

表示与夜晚相对的日间时间段，指有自然日光且可进行日间活动的时间。biǎo shì yǔ yè wǎn xiāng duì de rì jiān shí jiān duàn zhǐ yǒu zì rán rì guāng qiě kě jìn xíng rì jiān huó dòng de shí jiān

Word origin

白天 (báitiān, "daytime") combines 白 (bái, "bright") with 天 (tiān, "sky or day"), giving the image of the bright part of the day.

Usage tips

  • English day can mean a full twenty-four hours, but this Chinese word covers only the hours with natural light.

Opposites

Word lists with this word